Ectobius pallidus, France (Maneval, 1932; Soyer, 1947).
Ectobius panzeri, France (Soyer, 1947).
Ectobius sp., Italy (Grandi, 1954).
Hololampra punctata, Pitten (Handlirsch, 1889).
Loboptera decipiens, France (Ferton, 1894).
Cockroach, Netherlands (Bouwman, 1914).
Nesting sites.—The wasp uses already-made cavities such as rotting dead branches on ground, fissures in the earth, abandoned ant holes, chinks in stone, or the empty cocoon of the ichneumon Ophion luteus (Ferton, 1894; Maneval, 1932).
Behavior.—The prey is immobile while being dragged to the nest but recovers sufficiently from the sting so that if dug up it will run around (Ferton, 1894; Bouwman, 1914; Benoist, 1927; Grandi, 1954). The wasp cuts off about two-thirds of the cockroach's antennae prior to putting its prey in its nest (Adlerz, 1903; Bouwman, 1914; Soyer, 1947). One cockroach is placed in the nest and the wasp's egg is attached to the midcoxa (Ferton, 1894). Oviposition takes 5 to 6 minutes (Maneval, 1939). Wasp fills and seals its nest with bits of earth and stones (Ferton, 1894; Grandi, 1954). The wasp larva feeds externally and devours the entire cockroach, including its exoskeleton (Ferton, 1894).
Development.—Hatching occurs in 3 to 4 days (Ferton, 1894) or longer during cooler weather (Maneval, 1939). Larval development takes 6 days (Grandi, 1954), 8 days (Ferton, 1894), or 10 to 25 days depending on season (Maneval, 1939).